(OBSOLETE) The Oracle Project: Colors Painted On

Chapter 7: The Senseless Senses

2826/08/02 Cam_???_The-Labyrinth_???_??? 02:21:31

Ava and Mason were running down a maze of corridors, leading into many different rooms. A roar came from behind them, a definite sign that they hadn't lost the thing yet.

This place made no sense to Ava, and she didn't think it made sense to Mason either. Here, space seemed meaningless, and if space meant nothing, then with their luck, time meant nothing too. This entire place felt so weird, but so strangely familiar, like a piece of her was in the air of every hallway.

The halls groaned and shifted, hatches opening on the walls and floor until the space in front of them became impossibly wide. Platforms rose up from the giant hole in the ground, five meters of space separating each, and under them was an abyss of nothingness that awaited them if they fell.

"What the-?" Mason said. "How are we going to get over that?"

A deep growl came from behind them where the monster was bounding towards them. The thing helped them choose by ramming into them hard, knocking them in different directions, while the beast's momentum got the better of it, and sent it tumbling into the void.

"That takes care of that problem." Ava thought to herself, but then she realized that Mason hadn't landed with her. She quickly got up and looked around, expecting to see him on one of the other platforms, but she found herself at a dead end, the only way out being a wide space of platforms in front of her, with no sign of Mason.

She shouted his name multiple times though she knew it was practically useless. Suddenly she heard a reply.

"Ava?"

She ran towards the sound of his voice, jumping between each platform, but the walls started closing in on her, and she was way too far from the exit. Just as the walls were about to crush her she had the most insane idea, and sadly it was her best one right now. If she stayed up here she would be crushed to death no question about that, but what if she dropped down into the darkness.

Well, there wasn't really a choice right now. Looking down, she hesitated for a second, she's always had a fear of heights, but the closing walls helped her make up her mind. She jumped, and a scream rang out through the halls, but it wasn't hers, it was Mason's.

[SIGNAL SWITCH]

2826/08/02 ???_???_The-Dark_???_??? 07:43:19

Ava felt like she was falling forever, she looked around but still couldn't see her own hand in front of her face. Suddenly the rushing air around her slowed down a little, and below her she could see lights, and a concrete floor. Her fall started slowing down, but not enough.

She hit the ground hard, yellow spots dancing in front of her eyes. She was dizzy and weak but she tried to get back up but the moment she moved her foot it exploded in pain. She looked down at it and thought. "My ankle's broken."

She dragged herself to the nearest wall and rested there for a few minutes, the pain slowly subsiding. She was in a concrete corridor, which was dimly lit. At the ends there were more halls, splitting apart, probably another maze.

After a few moments she tried to move her leg again. The pain in her foot erupted, not as much as before, but still hurt like hell. She got to her feet very slowly and pressed against the wall, raising her foot with the broken ankle slowly, and started to hop along, leaning against the wall for balance. Suddenly the temperature around her dropped, and she could here footsteps coming around the corner.

A humanoid figure appeared, black and smoky, the smoke kept shifting and recombining into a solid shape and dissipating again, in a desperate attempt to keep it's human shape, but it wasn't able to form a right arm. Two white orbs floated where its eyes should have been.

"akVawIdaGpohEfasNmrtEdwaRcgsgE" It said, its voice distorted.

Ava fell over, trying to turn around as fast as she could.

"Rt'p oyu mv tndlq, bbc hfg. V dnisnbhbr vc ik vvv, mv oapeo qbwtocyuea ar." It said in a voice that was full of sadness and hope. "Fe'os axt jcabtbff, chbm zjdb if rnqc gqip. Hun vlwpn... Tes ixizs pxnqfbus rg."

Ava stopped for a second, she didn't understand the thing, but the emotion in its voice sounded true.

"Orbs hb. Pisnbe. Ts qrdk'h jjnq hb quoh nwylbr." It begged with a voice full of despair, then suddenly it paused, like it was listening to something, or realizing something. "Qe'p hnukfbt... Auk!" It said, its voice full of concern and fear, but not for itself, for Ava.

"Wha- What?" Ava stammered.

"AUK!!" It said with a stronger voice, while it pointed behind Ava.

She got the message. Ava quickly got up and started hobbling away as fast as she could. Behind her, the thing doubled over in pain, its hands clutching its head like it was having a migraine. Then suddenly, it attacked

{CLIP END}